Johannesburg - The five police officers who were arrested in connection with the murder and assault of Jason Heyns in Vredenburg will remain behind bars until their bail application next week.
The officers were arrested by the Investigating Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on Wednesday for the murder which took place last month.
They are due back in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court on December 3 for a formal bail application. They remain in custody.
Ipid said the arrest of the officers comes after the directorate’s rural strategic interventions investigative work on the case.
Ipid said the police officers allegedly assaulted Heyns, who was being arrested by them. After his assault, Heyns needed medical attention and was taken to hospital in Vredenburg, which immediately transferred him to the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town due to the severity of his injuries.
He died in hospital seven days later.
Ipid spokesperson Ndileka Cola said the police failed to report the matter to the Ipid, but the family alerted the directorate and an investigation ensued.
“SAPS failed to report this incident as required by the Ipid Act, the directorate later learnt of it through the deceased’s family, who reported the death as a result of police action case on November 3.
“Ipid conducted an in-depth investigation into this incident which led to the identification and arrest of the five members,” said Cola.
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